Our Opinion: Communication, not legislation, the answer to ALPLM’s problems

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The State Journal-Register

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Posted Jun. 15, 2014 at 1:12 AM

Posted Jun. 15, 2014 at 1:12 AM

Legendary NFL football coach Vince Lombardi knew a thing or two about teamwork.

“People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society,” he once said.

Lombardi probably wouldn’t have been impressed by the squabble that has broken out among experts charged with oversight of Illinois’ Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, a world-class research institution and popular tourist site.

We’re not impressed either, although, structurally, we can see how it was destined to happen. Some background:

Five different groups or individuals have some kind of role in operations of the site, which is part of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. At the top is the seven-member IHPA board of trustees, whose chairwoman is Sunny Fischer of Evanston. Its oversight spans all Illinois historic sites, not just the library and museum.

Answering to the board is IHPA executive director Amy Martin. Answering to Martin is Eileen Mackevich, executive director of the library and museum.

Believing the library portion of the facility deserved more attention and expert guidance, the state set up an 11-member advisory board, which is chaired by Steven Beckett of Champaign. The board has met seven times since 2012.

Notably, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Foundation exists to raise money for the facility. It has no oversight role.

Beckett said he became frustrated by a lack of direction from above, the state’s foot-dragging on hiring and the inability to wield any real influence. To address what he considers confusing and dysfunctional governance, he drafted legislation to make the presidential library and museum its own state agency and divorce it from IHPA oversight. He didn’t tell the advisory board or the IHPA board of the effort.

The legislation quietly made its way through normal channels in the General Assembly, but eventually House Speaker Michael Madigan — whose every move is met with suspicion and scrutiny — signed on as a sponsor. When word of the proposal became public in the waning days of the legislative session, it looked like a Madigan power grab. Fireworks erupted, and Senate lawmakers put the brakes on the bill, even though the House had approved it.

Beckett, who says he is not a politically savvy person, said at a June 6 meeting with The State Journal-Register’s editorial board the legislation was all his idea. That it turned political and went awry surprised him.

“My plan wasn’t to have this crammed through,” he said. “My plan was to have it introduced and discussed and analyzed and have people say, ‘What makes sense for the best thing we have in Illinois that represents Lincoln and the people of Illinois?’”

Meanwhile, Fischer, who met with the editorial board separately, said she still doesn’t understand what Beckett views as a problem. She read his statements in news stories and listened to his testimony about the bill but remains puzzled, she said.

Page 2 of 2 - However, asked if she had reached out to Beckett to talk to him directly since the bill became public, Fischer said she had not. Nor had Beckett reached out to her.

Then, at Friday’s meeting of the library advisory board, Martin publicly criticized Beckett’s actions as “unprofessional” and “counterproductive.” She went on to say, among other things, the advisory board’s sole duties are to recommend programs, seminars and conferences and report annually on the library’s status, and, “That’s it.”

But minutes of past advisory board meetings show some members struggled to understand their place in the framework of oversight. More clarity and specific instructions should have been offered before now.

Unfortunately, any tension that existed previously has deepened, as evidenced by the frustration on display at Friday’s meeting.

The good news is that Illinois has tapped thoughtful, well-intentioned experts in their fields to guide the state’s historic preservation efforts, both directly and indirectly. The bad news is that they can’t seem to work together. Legislation can’t fix that.

Fischer said she intends to convene a task force to investigate whether structural or oversight problems exist at the ALPLM. Both she and Beckett said they are open to ideas.

That’s a start, but a conflict-resolution specialist and some team-building exercises might be what this group really needs.